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  • DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS

    Menier Chocolate Factory

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Bram’s camp vamp like you’ve never seen him before

    ‘Off to a strong start’, I think, settling into the bench seating in Menier Chocolate Factory. There is catchy Slavic rap music blasting through the speakers, roving spotlights circling the audience, and a respectable amount of red neon lighting around the room. All of this effectively sets the mood for the gothic adult pantomime that doesn’t take itself too seriously in the slightest.

    A small cast of five, with only one actor playing a single role. The remaining four switch hilariously between multiple characters and costumes, with flawless over-the-top accents and one of the quickest quick changes I have ever witnessed. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed this year’s hit horror film Nosferatu, it was interesting to see Stoker’s story interpreted in such a different way, fitting seamlessly into the framework of a spoofy, flamboyant comedy.

    We begin Steve Rosen and Gordon Greenberg’s 90-min gigglefest at Drac’s home in rural Transylvania, where conservative English real estate agent Jonathan meets the fanged and fabulous vamp (sidenote: there is not a more memorable grand entrance to be found in the West End) and sells him several London properties and one creepy abandoned mansion (of course). From there, they travel back to merry old England and we meet the rest of the motley crew: Jonathan’s fiancée Lucy, her sister Mina, her father Dr Westfeldt and their staff Renfield and Kitty (both of whom are the doctor’s mental patients). Thus ensues a slapstick game of bat-and-mouse as Dracula attempts to get closer to Lucy, whilst quenching his thirst for blood and ramping up some truly impressive chemistry with Lucy’s meek and mild husband-to-be. The group is eventually joined by famous female vamp hunter Dr Jean Van Helsing, and together they chase James Daly around the country (I mean, who wouldn’t), their wordplay and shenanigans culminating in a vamp-tastic showdown at Drac’s blood-curdling manor.

    Though much of the humour is fairly goofy, the tone pantomimic, and I can imagine it capturing audiences in America a little more effectively, the acting is superb. Charlie Stemp’s portrayal of trembling estate agent Jonathan is marvellous, and Safeena Ladha’s Lucy is the consummate adventurer and period manic pixie dream girl. Above all, however, James Daly’s Dracula is magnetic – commanding attention, awe and amusement onstage and off.

    All in all, not a bad way to spend 90mins of my life! I have already booked to go back, and would recommend the show to anyone looking for a little bit of Rocky-Horror-esque escapism on a Thursday evening in London.

    https://book.menierchocolatefactory.com/tickets/series/DRACACOT

  • ORDINARY MADNESS

    Riverside Studios

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    An unexpected, unparalleled delight

    The first five minutes have me sweating in the dark. A barren stage, scattered with casually dressed young actors, and a single spotlight on a lone mic stand. One of the young actors steps up, brandishing a notebook, and begins to recite poetry. At this point, I’m thinking about the lack of an interval and wondering if this was all an elaborate trap to force me to watch a university slam poetry night. Little do I know, I’m about to be proven woefully wrong.

    Six short stories, somehow the perfect balance of pathos and humour (and more than a touch of weirdness) and an incredibly versatile cast of five. Aside from a slightly offbeat reading of ‘Bluebird’, Anya Viller’s production completely succeeds in bringing to life Charles Bukowski’s way of seeing magic and meaning in the insignificant.

    There’s a particular skill in making an audience of Londoners care about an ordinary American stranger, and this cast absolutely nailed it. I was helplessly sucked in to every character’s world. I cared about the lonely girl who answered a personal ad, the socially challenged mannequin admirer, the post office clerk, the Texan flirt and the loving gangster father. Though each story is totally unlike the others, loneliness and a yearning for human connection is central to all of them, just as it is in Bukowski’s works.

    The cast’s raw performances are stark against the simple set, with only a few clever props to represent their surroundings. The portrayals across the board are compelling, however for me there is a particular standout. James Viller’s chameleon-like ability to shift seamlessly between roles is just breath-taking. He inhabits his characters as though he has been them all along, despite the astounding differences between each part.

    The show comes to an end, the lights come up, and I find myself completely unprepared to leave this Bukowskian bubble.  The show is unlike any I have seen before, and I would strongly urge people to catch it while they can.

    https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/ordinary-madness-150676/